September 2021 Outcrop by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 70 • No. 9 • September 2021

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Summit Sponsors PLATINUM SPONSOR

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OUTCROP | September 2021

Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

1999 Broadway • Suite 730 • Denver, CO 80202 • 720-672-9898 The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology and allied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific research and to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.

2021 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2nd VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Cat Campbell ccampbell@caminoresources.com

Mark Millard millardm@gmail.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Rob Diedrich rdiedrich75@gmail.com

Jessica Davey jessica@desertmountainenergy.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

Nathan Rogers nathantrogers@gmail.com

Rebecca Johnson Scrable rebecca.johnson@bpx.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER ELECT

Courtney Beck Antolik courtneyantolik14@gmail.com

Mike Tischer mtischer@gmail.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Peter Kubik pkubik@mallardexploration.com

Jeff May jmay.kcrossen@gmail.com

RMAG STAFF DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org CO-EDITORS

Courtney Beck Antolik courtneyantolik14@gmail.com Nate LaFontaine nlafontaine@sm-energy.com Wylie Walker wylie.walker@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Elijah Adeniyi elijahadeniyi@montana.edu Danielle Robinson danielle.robinson@dvn.com

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rates and sizes can be found on page 38. Advertising rates apply to either black and white or color ads. Submit color ads in RGB color to be compatible with web format. Borders are recommended for advertisements that comprise less than one half page. Digital files must be PC compatible submitted in png, jpg, tif, pdf or eps formats at a minimum of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, please call the RMAG office at 720-672-9898. Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details. DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Rex Stout rex.stout@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS

RMAG Office: 720-672-9898 Fax: 323-352-0046 staff@rmag.org or www.rmag.org

DESIGN/LAYOUT: Nate Silva | nate@nate-silva.com

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Outcrop | September 2021 OUTCROP

RMAG Geohike Challenge/Outcrop Magazine

Ansel Adams Photo Contest

We want your best photos! There’s still time to get your photos in the special “Geohike Photography” edition of The Outcrop. Send us your best photos from your Geohike Challenge adventures! The Outcrop editorial team will be selecting the best of the best from those submitted, and the winning photograph featured on the front cover. Photographers must be registered for the Geohike Challenge, but submitted photos don’t necessarily have to have been taken this year, nor do they have to be of a ‘photo contest’ item. See the RMAG website for details. Participants must be registered for the 2021 Geohike Challenge to win.

Submit your photos today! OUTCROP | September 2021 (go to www.rmag.org

4 Vol. 70, No. 9 & click “Submit Geohike Photos” under Events menu)

| www.rmag.org

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

12 Lead Story: Colorado Treasures: The Yule Marble

2 RMAG Summit Sponsors

34 RMAG On the Rocks: Paint Mines Interpretive Park

DEPARTMENTS

4 Ansel Adams Photo Contest 7 MiT Webinar Series: Technical Opportunities for Subsurface Scientists and Engineers in the Energy Transition

6 RMAG August 2021 Board of Directors Meeting

9 RMAG Field Trip/Short Course: Sediement-Hosted Vanadium and Uranium of the Colorado Plateau

8 President’s Letter

15 RMAG Golf Tournament

26 Online Lunch Talk: Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr.

17 RMAG Geohike Challenge

30 Hybrid Lunch Talk: Michael Hofmann 32 Welcome New RMAG Members!

29 Publish with The Mountain Geologist 33 RMAG Diversity Statement

COVER PHOTO The glacial remnant, Pingora Tower (11,889’) is a prominent granite peak that is part of the Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range. The North East Face route is recognized as one of the Classic Fifty Climbs in North America. Photo by Stephen Sturm.

38 In The Pipeline 38 Outcrop Advertising Rates 39 Advertiser Index 39 Calendar

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OUTCROP | September 2021

RMAG AUGUST 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING By Jessica Davey, Secretary jessica@desertmountainenergy.com

100-year anniversary special editions of the Outcrop and Mountain Geologist. I’m excited to see what has changed in RMAG over the past 100 years. The On the Rocks Committee unfortunately had to cancel the October field trip to the Picketwire Trackways due to the park still being closed and having experienced a recent flood that may have impacted the trackway. The Committee is working to pull together a possible alternate trip, so keep an eye on the RMAG website for updates. The Educational Outreach Committee presented the Teacher of the Year Award to Tricia Kearns, Webber Middle School, Fort Collins, at the start of the August 4th luncheon talk. The Committee is ramping up their outreach efforts now that schools have returned for in-person learning this school year. RMAG formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion a few months ago. The Committees efforts include evaluating the existing diversity and inclusivity within RMAG (sometimes these issues are not always apparent on the surface) and to work to increase continued diversity and in RMAG going forward. This Ad Hoc Committee will work in conjunction with the other existing committees to enhance RMAG’s focus and outreach programs. We are slowly moving toward cooler nights here on the Front Range, and I know I have been enjoying the reduced smoke in the atmosphere the past couple of weeks while sitting on my porch. I hope you have time to sit back and relax and enjoy the last few days of summer. Hopefully you’re also able to get out and see some rocks in their natural habitats as well!

Happy back to school! We’ve yet again reached that fun time of year when we get to transition from fun summertime activities to focusing on a school routine. Whether you are a student, have children in school, are a teacher, have to deal with the increased traffic, or just know someone involved in school year preparations, I wish you an easy transition into the school year! The 2021 RMAG Board of Directors once again met virtually at 4 pm on Wednesday, August 18. Everyone was present for the meeting. Treasurer Rebecca Johnson Scrable reported that the RMAG financials are still looking good for 2021 despite the continued lack of events; the investment account has continued to perform well over the past few months. Kathy has continued to manage the RMAG operations remotely from her home, and you may have seen the posts on LinkedIn that RMAG is looking to hire an Executive Director. The Continuing Education Committee reports that the online luncheon talk on August 4th given by Dr. Molly Turko was very well attended. The September in-person luncheon has been moved virtually, and even though we’re excited to see you all in person, the Committee and Board of Directors thought it was a wise decision to postpone in-person indoor events for the time being. The Membership Committee announced that the 2022 Mentorship Program applications will open in September. Please apply if you are interested in volunteering as a mentor or participating as a mentee (I personally gained so much from being a mentee in this program!). The Publications Committee is busy at work preparing for the upcoming

Well Log Digitizing • Petrophysics Petra® Projects • Mud Log Evaluation Bill Donovan

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

(720) 351-7470 donovan@petroleum-eng.com OUTCROP | September 2021

Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

Webinar Series Members in Transition

2021

Visit Petroleum Pivoters for more resources!

Rockies Members in Transition (MiT) is a joint effort of members of AAPG, DERL, DIPS, DWLS, RMAG, SPE-Denver, WENCO, WGA, and WOGA in the Rocky Mountain region to help association members in the midst of a career transition.

Sept. 9 12pm-1pm (MDT)

Webinars are free and open to all

“Technical Opportunities for Subsurface Scientists and Engineers in the Energy Transition” Register at www.rmag.org

Rockies MiT Members in Transition

Presenter: Dr. Shaina Kelly, Senior Geoscience Engineer, AquaNRG

PRESIDENT’S LETTER By Cat Campbell

“There is only one way to look at things until someone shows us how to look at them with different eyes.” —PABLO PICASSO

Diversity….Inclusion….. These words seem to be ubiquitous, the new catchphrases of the modern approach to business. Professional research reveals that diversity is essential for businesses to succeed and inclusion increases employee satisfaction. These token definitions of diversity and inclusion found on countless corporate websites are tossed around as rote, but they barely scrape the surface of the powerful meaning of these words. In my opinion, Verna Myers explains diversity and inclusion in the most concise and comprehensible way possible,

“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”

Diversity in its elemental form either exists or it doesn’t. Your population is either a set of homogenous clones (unlikely) or it is composed of dimensions of diversity ranging from age, gender identity, ethnicity, LBGTQ, and race (internal dimensions) to education, religious beliefs, marital status, and geographic location (external, organizational, and worldview dimensions) to name just a few. The issue is how much diversity occurs in a given organization. Diversity allows for different perspectives. Each of us have unique experiences that enhance our creativity and allow us to see the world in a different way. Bringing people together with diverse backgrounds together generates unique ideas and solutions that wouldn’t come from everyone seeing the world the same way. For example, STEM fields are notably lacking in several internal dimensions of diversity (Figure 1) (https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progressin-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/). I feel that this quote captures the essence of the importance of diversity: OUTCROP | September 2021

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” —CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHE

I’ve read many times that diversity is a fact and inclusion on the other hand is an act. It is the act of making the mix created by diversity work; it is giving everyone the ability to belong and be heard. This is tricky to achieve for any organization. At RMAG for example, we realize that typical of STEM, we are lacking in key aspects of diversity, but inclusion is especially challenging; it’s opening our community, allowing everyone to feel equal and important. But how can we as RMAG and personally, how can I do that when I only have my own experiences to build upon? One way to be more inclusive is to take the time to listen to stories from people who do not feel that they

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RMAG Field Trip/Short Course

Sediment-Hosted Vanadium and Uranium of the Colorado Plateau Led by Dr. Ali Jaffri

Moab, Utah

Oct. 28-29, 2021 The Colorado Plateau is one the most prolific Vanadium-Uranium producing areas in the world. Many of the mining industry’s models of sediment-hosted metal occurrence are based on field observations from famous the Slickrock and Henry Mountains Mining District.

$700/members $750/nonmembers Student discount available See website for full details

On this field trip you will tour mines that have historically produced from fluvial sandstones that are close to environmentally sensitive locations such as rivers and campgrounds. These locations have been selected out of 500+ mines in the area based on safety, logistics (less hiking more looking at rocks), and where mineralization can still be seen in the host rock. This course is designed for geoscientists, engineers and environmental scientists working on metal exploration or mine remediation.

Registration open at www.rmag.org e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720.672.9898 | w: www.rmag.org

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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are included, stories of exclusion. I reached out to my network and asked for these stories, moments or experiences that made people feel like outsiders despite already being on the inside. These stories are all recent, most less than five years, some up to ten years old, and I’ve rewritten them in the first person and changed details as needed to maintain privacy of those willing to share with me. Please take the time to read these stories and put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Ask yourself what you would do in these situations to be more inclusive. I told someone at a conference that I was excited to learn a classic technique and apply it to my area. He literally patted me on the head. It’s exhausting to explain why that’s inappropriate, when he clearly saw me as some cute child and not a peer and a colleague. When I was a grad student, we often volunteered at the local geological society annual crawfish boil in order to network. One year, when we were working registration, a man came up to our table and said he’d make a donation to the society if I gave him a kiss on the cheek. I’m not shy and it seemed innocent enough so I obliged. At the last second, he turned his head and kissed me on the lips (in front of two male students in my department). I was so embarrassed. My colleagues said nothing except that my face turned beet red. I complained about this incident to one of the organizers, who was rightfully incensed on my behalf, but otherwise did nothing. When I was finishing my undergrad degree, I attended a summer happy hour event. A man noticed I have tattoos (which I typically cover because of this reason, and only the couple on my wrists were noticeable) and told me that I should have thought harder before I ruined my pretty body. The kicker was a younger man standing right next to me that had full sleeve tattoos, but nothing was said to that man.

FIGURE 1: Percentage of women in various STEM fields.

The health field, which includes nursing, is dominated by women whereas computer and engineering are severely lacking. Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/ science/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progressin-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/ ps_2021-04-01_diversity-in-stem_00-03/

I brought my child on a field trip organized through a professional society. There was an older man who took a liking to my daughter and was helping her use the rock hammer to fill her ore bag. I admired their interactions and appreciated it until this gentleman started telling me that I shouldn’t allow her to be an only child and how selfish it was of me to not have more children. He harassed me to the OUTCROP | September 2021

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER my work before presentations; often they would ask for help from me explaining the techniques I used to do the work. There was a reason I was the last female left on the team and I had been warned, but it got to the point that I was physically ill waking up each morning thinking about going into the office.

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point that I spent the rest of the day actively avoiding him rather than enjoying my time in the field. I was asked if am able to go in the field. You know, being a female, where would I go to the bathroom? My first experience with discrimination as an international person in the USA was before I even entered the country. After having accepted admission to a graduate program, I was ‘warned’ by a faculty member to reconsider. This person had assumed that the education I received from my home country made me ill-equipped to the academic requirements and demands of school here. I was told plainly that I would never be considered for funding opportunities and that I would likely fail to keep up a good GPA.

The irony is that even this column isn’t inclusive and focuses largely on sexism, while biases against age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and nationality are just as prevalent. I don’t want to paint a picture that nothing has changed and inclusion is not being incorporated into our culture. For example, I received a story completely different from the ones above, a story of respect. During the Me Too movement, a male supervisor with whom I’ve worked for many years approached me and asked if he had ever done anything or said anything to make me feel uncomfortable or disrespected. This individual is incredibly thoughtful and supportive and never did anything to offend me. The fact that he reached out to me meant the world.

Our team was preparing for a series of rig visits over the next months for various science projects. We were divvying up the time in the field and when I offered to cover my project, my boss told me that I should stay home and focus on my kids rather than travel for work. I was on a rig hanging out with my female company man when a vendor came into the office. His jaw literally dropped and he picked up his phone and took a picture of me and the company man. He said that his buddies would never believe that there were two “girls” working on the rig.

The main point I want to express is that we have more work to do. We do not exist in a diverse and inclusive space, but we can work towards it and consider these issues in our day to day interactions. Verna Myers offers some great advice on small steps to take. “Don’t allow colleagues to say offensive things without interrupting them. Intervene and be an ally. Don’t laugh at offensive jokes. Be responsible for the success of at least one or maybe two people. Privilege: Once you see it, you can use it to help other people. Interrupt bias on behalf of someone else.”

I don’t identify as male or female. When I went to register for AAPG’s IMAGE meeting, I was saddened as I was forced to click on one or other. What about those of us who are geologists, but different? I wasn’t considered for a consulting position because the hiring manager preferred to work with men. It got to the point that I thought being interrupted whenever I spoke or presented was normal. Maybe men saying my idea louder was how management wanted to hear the ideas, they never responded when I said anything. Finally a colleague asked how I tolerated being treated that way. I guess I don’t know another way.

“Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.” —GEORGE DEI

I left a job because of a male supervisor. He constantly reminded me that I had no value at the company except under his leadership. He made me copy papers I found and pass them out to my male colleagues instead of allowing me to discuss how we could use the data. He had my less experienced colleagues check Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

Jeff May, our incredible Counselor this year created an ad hoc committee on Diversity and Inclusion and they want to hear from you! The D&I committee is seeking a more diverse stakeholder group that can provide personal experiences, bring fresh ideas, and help direct new initiatives. Please contact staff@ rmag.com to volunteer and get involved.

OUTCROP | September 2021

LEAD STORY

Colorado Treasures:

The Yule Marble BY COURTNEY ANTOLIK | courtneyantolik14@gmail.com

exploration play in Utah’s Paradox Basin. The metamorphism that formed the Yule Marble occurred during the Tertiary after intrusion and uplift of the granitic Treasure Mountain Dome (Vanderwilt and Fuller, 1935; Odgen, 1961). This uplift is related to the formation of the present-day Rocky Mountains. The Yule Marble forms massive white blocks and is exposed in a one-mile-long, 200-foot-thick seam along Yule Creek (Lakes, 1910). It is nearly pure calcium carbonate, ranging from 98.8-99.8 weight percent calcite (McGee, 1999). Unlike other contact metamorphism marbles, the Yule did not form many silica minerals when it came in contact with the granitic intrusion. The few inclusions present are mainly quartz, with minor mica and feldspar. The compositional purity and homogenous grain size give the Yule Marble its classic sparkly white appearance, which is often thought to be superior to other American marbles from Georgia and Vermont.

VER 100 YEARS AGO, GEOLOGISTS

discovered a marble deposit along Yule Creek near Aspen, Colorado. Known as the Yule Marble, its purity and natural occurrence in massive blocks make the sparkly white rock coveted worldwide. Architects from Denver to D.C. have used it to build landmarks like Union Station and the Lincoln Memorial. In Colorado, it’s now famous for another reason. In 2004, it became the official state rock with the help of Girl Scout Troop 357.

GEOLOGY OF THE YULE MARBLE

The Yule Marble formed 34 million years ago from contact metamorphism of the Mississippian Leadville Limestone. The Leadville Limestone was deposited in shallow sea during a marine transgression (Armstrong and Mamet, 1976). Although the Leadville Limestone is widespread across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, the Yule Marble is only found in one location in the Yule Creek Valley near the town of Marble, Colorado (Figures 1 and 2). Marble isn’t the only economic mineral the Leadville Limestone hosts. It is the principal silver ore-bearing horizon in Colorado’s Leadville, Red Cliff and Aspen mining districts, and is also an oil and gas

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YULE MARBLE QUARRYING

The marble was first discovered in 1873 by geologist Sylvester Richardson. Samples were taken to Denver, but gained no interest from investors. The deposit was discovered again and named in 1883 by

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ABOVE: Byron White Courthouse and old post office building, Denver. Photo by Rob Diedrich. BELOW: U.S. Custom House, Denver. Photo by Rob Diedrich.

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LEAD STORY

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FIGURE 2: Geologic map of the Yule Creek area, showing the Leadville

Limestone and Yule Marble. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

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S ATURDAY

S EPTEMBER 25 2021

2021

RMAG GOLF

TOURNAMENT

8:00am Shotgun at Arrowhead Golf Club Registration includes entry, 18-holes of golf, cart, breakfast, lunch, & entry to win great door prizes

Thank you to our Premier Event Sponsor!

Registration open!

Teams of 4 and Individuals are welcome to register Member Team: $780 Non-Member Team: $880

email: staﬀ@rmag.org

phone: 720.672.9898

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1999 Broadway, Ste. 730, Denver, CO, 80202

Member Individual: $195 Non-Member Individual: $220

fax: 323.352.0046

web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | September 2021

follow: @rmagdenver

LEAD STORY

FIGURE 1: Location of the Yule Quarry near the town of Marble, Colorado. From Google Earth.

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mausoleums, post offices and schools in more than 30 states. Among the most notable projects is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, built in 1931 (Figure 4). Unlike other building stones, the Yule Marble can be extracted in huge unbroken blocks. This allowed sculptors to build the main body of the tomb from a single piece of rock that weighed a record-breaking 56 tons. Mining and quarrying are costly businesses, however, and the iconic Yule Marble isn’t immune to boom and bust cycles. Debt, decreased demand, and a loss of workers to World War I forced the quarry to close in 1917. It reopened in 1922 but shut down again in 1941 after World War II began. Modern

prospector George Yule. Commercial quarrying did not begin until 1905. The deposit changed ownership several times before the Colorado-Yule Marble Company purchased it and carved quarries into the mountainside along the creek. Quarry workers used drills and saws to cut massive blocks of stone (Figure 3). The blocks were transported by cables, carts and wagons to the mill at the base of the mountain. After being cut and finished at the mill, the marble was loaded onto trains to be sold across the country. Marble is ideal for constructing monuments, as its surface is easily polished and the white luminescence makes buildings stand out. Stone from the Yule Creek quarry was used to build banks, hotels,

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RMAG GEOHIKE CHALLENGE There’s still time to get in on the fun! RMAG’s Geohike Challenge is open until September 15, so there’s still time to get out and do some hiking! Register today to get your t-shirt and hat. Winners of the scavenger hunt and photo contest will be announced at the SEG/AAPG IMAGE conference, Sept 26-Oct. 1.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN See www.rmag.org for details and to register. Check out the RMAG LinkedIn Group to see pictures!

#rmaggeohikechallenge2021

LEAD STORY is dedicated to the Girl Scout Troop that helped introduce House Bill No. 1023: the state rock bill. Back in 2002, geologist Clare Marshall, mother of one of the girls in Troop 357, was part of the Colorado School of Mines Geology and Geological Engineering Department (Waymarking, 2012) . While she was working on a new exhibit for the CSM geology museum, she noticed that Colorado had a state mineral and gemstone (rhodochrosite and aquamarine) but no state rock. Marshall’s daughter’s troop decided to change this. They chose the Yule Marble as the new state rock for its fascinating history, contributions across Colorado and the United States, and its pure white color. Rhodochrosite and aquamarine are red and blue, so the marble was a patriotic choice. The troop researched the Yule Marble, visited the quarry, put together a fact sheet and got

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quarrying resumed in 1990 and is ongoing today, despite several changes in ownership.

THE YULE MARBLE AROUND COLORADO • Cheesman Memorial, Cheesman Park, Denver • U.S. Custom House, Denver • Byron White Courthouse, Denver • Colorado State Museum, Denver • Denver International Airport • Original high school, Marble • Citizens National Bank, Glenwood Springs • The Vail Hotel, Pueblo

BECOMING THE STATE ROCK

In 2007, another monument was built from the Yule Marble (Figure 5). This one is in Lakewood and

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FIGURE 3: Yule

Marble Quarry circa 1908-1916. Public domain, courtesy of the Marble Historical Society Collection.

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Yule Marble walls at Denver International Airport. Photo by Courtney Antolik. Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 4: Tomb of the

Unknown Soldier, Arlington Cemetery, Washington, D.C. Photo from the Arlington National Cemetery. FIGURE 5: Monument

in Belmar Park, Lakewood, honoring Girl Scout Troop 357. Photo from Waymarking.

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LEAD STORY

ABOVE: Cheesman memorial in Cheesman Park, Denver. Photo by Rob Diedrich. LEFT: The Citizens National Bank Building, built in 1913 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Photo by Jeffrey Beall on Wikimedia commons.

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ABOVE: Colorado State Museum, Denver. Former home of the mineral collection that is now housed at the Colorado School of Mines. The building is now used for state legislative offices. Photo by Rob Diedrich. BELOW: Marble_High_School: The high school building in Marble, Colorado, built in 1910. It is the only building in Marble that is built from the Yule Marble. Photo by Jeffrey Beall on Wikimedia commons.

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WE ARE GREAT WESTERN AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO:

PEOPLE

EXCELLENCE

TEAMWORK

GROWTH

STEWARDSHIP

RESILIENCE

WE ARE #CommittedtoColorado

Mallard Exploration is a Denver-based upstream Oil & Gas Exploration and Production company focused on the DJ Basin of Colorado. We are building a successful business with strong ethics, hard work and industry-leading technology.

LEAD STORY

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endorsements from politicians, historians and geologists. They worked with State Representative Betty Boyd, who sponsored the state rock bill, and testified before two legislative committees. The bill was passed into law in February 2004.

MODERN QUARRY

Today, Italian company R.E.D. Graniti operates the quarry under their division Colorado Stone Quarries (Figure 6). They purchased it in 2011 and opened a new quarry site the next year (Colson, 2012). At the time, the quarry was producing 50 blocks of saleable marble each month. The marble blocks, which weigh FIGURE 6: Modern-day Yule Marble quarrying. Photo from Colorado Stone Quarries. an average of 22 tons, are extracted with diamond saws and Middle Paleozoic Rocks of Colorado, Twelfth trucked out to I-70, destined for Field Conference: Denver, Rocky Mountain AssoItaly and New York. The quarry, now called the Pride ciation of Geologists, p. 190–194, 196. of America Mine, has the potential to produce marHartley, T., 2016, A Look Inside Colorado’s Stunble for another 100 years (Hartley, 2016). ning Marble Quarry: Aspen Sojourner, summer 2016. https://www.aspensojo.com/ REFERENCES news-and-profiles/2016/05/oh-calacatta Armstrong, A.K. and B. L. Mamet, 1976, BiostraLakes, A., 1910, Some remarkably fine marble tigraphy and Regional Relations of the Mississipquarries in Colorado: Mining World, v. 32, p. pian Leadville Limestone in the San Juan Moun609-611. tains, Southwestern Colorado: U.S. Geological McGee, E.S., 1999, Colorado Yule Marble – BuildSurvey Professional Paper 985, 37 p. https:// ing Stone of the Lincoln Memorial: U.S. Geologipubs.usgs.gov/pp/0985/report.pdf cal Survey Bulletin 2162, 53 p. https://pubs.usgs. Colorado Stone Quarries website: https://www. gov/pdf/bulletin/b2162/b2162.pdf coloradostonequarries.com/ Vanderwilt, J.W., and Fuller, H.C., 1935, CorrelaColson, J., 2012, Italians opening new portal to tion of Colorado Yule marble and other early Yule quarry in Marble: The Aspen Times, pubPaleozoic formations on Yule Creek, Gunnison lished online July 22, 2012. https://www.aspenCounty, Colorado: Colorado Science Society Protimes.com/news/italians-opening-new-portal-toceedings, v. 13, no. 7, p. 439–464. yule-quarry-in-marble/ Waymarking, 2012, Yule Marble, State Rock – Ogden, L., 1961, Non-metallic minerals from rocks Lakewood, CO: Scouts Monuments and Memoriof lower and middle Paleozoic age, in Berg, R.R., als. https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/ and Rold, J.W., eds., Symposium on Lower and WME5TX_Yule_Marble_State_Rock_Lakewood_CO OUTCROP | September 2021

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The Greater Glory Of The Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, Utah By Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr., Emeritus, Utah Geological Survey, Salt Lake City, Utah

OUTCROP | September 2021

beds are friable and composed of clean, fine- to medium-grained, frosted, subrounded to subangular, moderately to well-sorted quartz sand with minor amounts of feldspar and scattered heavy mineral grains. Sedimentary structures include sets of large, high-angle trough cross-stratification (reaching thicknesses up to 45 feet [14 m]); contorted bedding and soft-sediment deformation, wind ripples, and small-scale trough cross-stratification are additionally abundant. Sandstone beds are locally bleached by iron-reducing hydrocarbons, weak acids, or hydrogen sulfide. Fluid flow has also produced unique iron concretions (“Moki marbles”) that weather out of the sandstone, and sand injectites rich in iron and manganese near the top of the Navajo. Laminated, 5- to 10-foot (1.5–3 m) thick, thin-bedded carbonate units deposited in oases consist of sandy microbial (algal) stromatolitic to thrombolitic (clotted) boundstone and wackestone composed of limestone or dolomitic limestone. These units often display desiccation features such as mudcracks and salt casts. The Navajo Sandstone is separated from the overlying Middle Jurassic Temple Cap/Carmel Formation by the J-1 unconformity. Recent research indicates the J-1 is a major regional unconformity representing a hiatus of over 10 million years. The J-1 is indicated by angular chert fragments, desiccation cracks, brecciation zones, carbonate nodules, bioturbation, and thick bleached intervals; however, the J-1 can be very subtle in some areas. In addition, the upper Navajo contact

The Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone is perhaps the most well known lithostratigraphic formation in Utah and creates some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. It forms the magnificent cliffs and canyons in Zion and other national parks, monuments, and recreational areas on the Colorado Plateau in the central and southern parts of the state. Navajo outcrops are displayed as rounded cliffs, alcoves, domes, and knobs—they epitomize what is called “slickrock” country. The Navajo is most famous for massive cross-stratified sandstone beds representing ancient dunes. In Early Jurassic time, Utah had an arid climate and lay 15º north of the equator. The Navajo Sandstone and age-equivalent rocks were deposited in an extensive erg, which extended from present-day Wyoming to Arizona. The eolian deposits included dunes, interdunes, and sand sheets. Navajo dunes were large (widths up to 2200 feet [670 m]) to small, straight-crested to sinuous, coalescing, transverse barchanoid ridges as suggested by the large-scale cross-stratification. Regional analyses of the mean dip of dune foreset beds indicate paleocurrent and paleowind directions were dominantly from the north and northwest. A high paleo-water table produced oases; deposition occurred when springs and lakes existed for relatively long periods of time. Vertebrate fossils, fossil wood, and dinosaur tracks and other trace fossils are found in Navajo interdune as well as dune environments. The Navajo Sandstone ranges in thickness from 150 to 2300 feet [45–700 m]. The sandstone

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Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

PETROLEUM HISTORY INSTITUTE

2021 ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM AND FIELD TRIP Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 29 – October 1, 2021

‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ TOUR OF CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Wednesday afternoon; September 29 REGISTRATION AND EVENING RECEPTION AT HOST HOTEL Wednesday, September 29, 2021 PRESENTATIONS – ORAL AND POSTER – Thursday, September 30, 2021 Proceedings to be published in the 2021 volume of Oil-Industry History FIELD TRIP -- – Friday, October 1, 2021 From the very old to several of the newest oil/gas sites and facilities in southwestern Pa. HEADQUARTERS HOTEL – DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh International Airport, 8402 University Boulevard; Moon Township, Pennsylvania 15108 Group Rate Mention “Petroleum History Institute” Prior to Sept 8

For symposium details, see: www.petroleumhistory.org

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Senior Account Manager (GeoGraphix by LMKR) C : + 1 724 919 2506 | P : + 1 412 795 1271 pbatdorf@lmkr.com

ONLINE LUNCH TALK Outcrops and Covenant core show both dune and interdune facies in the Navajo Sandstone. Interdune deposits create baffles and barriers to fluid flow, partitioning the Navajo reservoirs or aquifers. The world-class outcrops of the Navajo Sandstone in Utah demonstrate the complex nature of dune and interdune facies. Studying the reservoir and aquifer characteristics of the Navajo Sandstone, from the surface to the subsurface, has greatly expanded the understanding of this ancient erg system. The detailed descriptions of these facies and those identified in Covenant field cores provide a template for exploring and developing new oil fields, disposing of produced water, and targeting zones to store CO2, in the Navajo and other formations elsewhere in Utah and worldwide that were deposited in eolian environments.

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undulates with up to 200 feet (60 m) of topographic relief over long distances, creating paleohighs and providing further evidence that the J-1 is a significant regional unconformity. Besides its remarkable outcrops, the Navajo Sandstone serves as a reservoir both for hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and carbon dioxide (CO2), an aquifer for disposal of produced water from coalbed methane fields, a potential storage unit for CO2 captured from coal-fired power plants in the region, and in much of southern Utah the Navajo is the major aquifer for culinary water. The spectacular outcrops of the Navajo in the San Rafael Swell and other areas of central and southern Utah, as well as cores from Covenant oil field in the central Utah thrust belt, display the eolian facies characteristics, geometry, distribution, and nature of boundaries contributing to the overall heterogeneity of reservoir rocks and aquifers.

TOM CHIDSEY is an Emeritus Senior Scientist for the Utah Geological Survey (UGS), officially “retiring” in 2020. During his long career at the UGS, Tom’s responsibilities included conducting research on Utah’s petroleum geology, managing various grant-funded projects, industry outreach, and publishing the results of his studies. He grew up in the Wilmington, Delaware, and the Washington, DC metropolitan areas. Tom received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1974 and a Master of Science degree in 1977, both in geology from Brigham Young University. During his 44-year career, Tom has worked as a production geologist for Exxon in South Texas and as an exploration geologist in the Utah-Wyoming-Idaho thrust belt, Uinta Basin of eastern Utah, and Green River Basin of southwestern Wyoming, for Celsius/Wexpro (now Dominion Energy) before joining the UGS in 1989. He has served as Rocky Mountain Section (RMS) President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), President of the Utah Geological Association (UGA), General Chairman for the 2003 AAPG Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, and currently is a board member of the AAPG RMS Foundation. Tom is a long-time member of RMAG.

Publish with…

Tom has wide interest in geology and has numerous publications on Utah petroleum geology, carbon dioxide resources and sequestration, hydrogeology, oil and gas reservoir outcrop analogs, microbial carbonates, Mars rover protocols using Utah sites, and the general geology of Utah’s parks, and is the author/co-author of seventeen technical papers and three non-technical articles on various aspects of the Navajo/Nugget Sandstone. He also has been an editor/co-editor of eleven UGA, AAPG, and UGS guidebooks and bulletins on Utah geology. Tom enjoys leading field trips, conducting core workshops for industry groups and universities, and promoting Utah’s geology to Expanded geologic focus: the public. He was especially pleased when his “job” required climbing cliffs, running river rapids, or cruising Lake Powell. Tom has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Lehi Hintze Award for Outstanding the Geology of Utah (2017);of the North AAPG • Entire greaterContributions Rocky toMountain area Ame Public Service Award (2018); and the AAPG RMS John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award (2019). He will be receiving the prestigious • West Texas and New Mexico to northern British C Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contribution Award during the 2021 AAPG ACE in September.

• Great Plains and Mid-Continent region

Tom and his wife, Mary, have two sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren. His other interests include art history, travel, John Wesley Powell’s 1869 journey down the Grand Canyon, and World War I and the Civil War. OUTCROP | September 2021

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Why contribute Why • Reach a broa • Re • Quarterly pe Expanded geologic focus: • Qu • Permanent a • Entire greater Rocky Mountain area of North America • Quick •turn-a Pe • West Texas and New Mexico to northern British Columb • Every •subdis Qu

• Great Plains and Mid-Continent region

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HYBRID LUNCH TALK Speaker: Michael Hofmann Date: October 6 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Coincidence or Consequence The timing of late Devonian active margin tectonism and sedimentation in the intracratonic Williston Basin By Michael Hofmann environmental controls of these black shales, as oceanic anoxic events, glaciations, and major tectonism were contemporaneously at play during this time. Along the western margin of the North American continent, the latter resulted in orogenic loading during the Antler orogeny (370– 340 Ma). The Williston Basin is located atop the structurally complex suture zone between the Archean Superior province to the east and the Archean basement of the Wyoming structural provinces to

The Late Devonian (~360 million years ago) was an interval characterized by globally widespread deposition of fine-grained, organic-rich sediments. Many of these ‘black shale’ deposits contain >10 wt% total organic carbon, and are associated with economically important hydrocarbon targets. In the northern Rocky Mountains the best known member of these Late Devonian (and earliest Carboniferous) black shales is the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin, located in northern USA and southern Canada. Key questions are about the synchroneity and

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MICHAEL HOFMANN: In the most general terms, I am a geologist who seeks to understand the processes responsible for transportation, deposition, and preservation of sediments, at a variety of scales from pore scale to basin scale. As such, it is critical to me to look at processes that shape our world holistically, and to consider their dependencies when studying the rock record. Rocks exposed in outcrops or cores are the best archive of these inter-dependencies and are at the heart of my work, although my research is supplemented by a multitude of other methods and data, including remote sensing, geophysical, geochemical, paleontologic, geomorphic, and numerical modeling. After receiving my Dipl.-Geol.-Univ. (M.S. equivalent) degree from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, I made my way to Montana and received a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Montana. Following my academic training, I worked as a senior geologist for ConocoPhillips’ Subsurface Technology, Sedimentary Systems, and Shale Stratigraphy groups in Houston, TX, where I worked in sedimentary basins and on projects from around the globe. Despite being a very rewarding and exciting opportunity, I could not resist the call of the Rockies, and was fortunate enough to be able to come back to Montana. Here I continue working on rocks from around the globe, across North America, and right here in the Rocky Mountains as an Associate Research Professor at the University of Montana, as well as the co-founder of AIM GeoAnalytics (a Montana based rock analytical lab), and co-founder of Cartalytics (a spatial data analytical platform). It is my goal and passion to share with students, colleagues, and the public the awe and excitement that I find when looking at rocks and thinking about the controlling processes, and I look forward to discussing my ideas about the Bakken Formation with the distinguished group of RMAG members. OUTCROP | September 2021

Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

ONLINE LUNCH TALK the Lower Bakken Shale and the Pronghorn Member, reveal a more complex basin geometry. This talk provides a detailed picture of facies changes observed in the lower Bakken Formation. It takes a closer look at latest Devonian global and local environmental factors that could have controlled the observed lower Bakken facies distribution in the Williston Basin. In particular it provides food for thought how continental margin tectonism during the latest Devonian might have influenced deposition in an intracratonic basin located hundreds of miles from an orogenic front.

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the west. This intracratonic basin in general has a very homogeneous subsidence history throughout most of the Paleozoic, that can be largely explained by simple thermal subsidence. This simple subsidence model is expected to result in a very predictive facies distribution with more proximal facies near the basin margin and the more distal deposition near the basin center. Although this type of facies distribution is observed for most of the Devonian strata in the Williston Basin, detailed facies and geochemical analysis of the lower Bakken Formation members, namely

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Paul Devine

is Manager/Founder at Resource Analytics, LLC and lives in Denver, Colorado.

Ginger Dodson

is a Senior Geologist and lives in Evergreen, Colorado.

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lives in Golden, Colorado.

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is a Reservoir Engineer at BPX and lives in Denver, Colorado.

Scott Hampton

is a Geologic Services Manager at Earth Science Agency and lives in Lakewood, Colorado.

OUTCROP | September 2021

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Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | September 2021

RMAG ON THE ROCKS

ABOVE: The group explores the deeply entrenched gullies, with colorful clay layers and hidden passageways in the canyon of Paint Mines Interpretive Park, near Calhan, CO. RIGHT: A look at Castle Rock from the beginning of the Summit Trail; the trail to the top where the Paint Mines field trip group got to see the 50-80 foot thickness of conglomerate that forms the “castle.”

Paint Mines Interpretive Park Center of The Denver Basin By Denise M. Stone

OUTCROP | September 2021

At Stop 1, the Daniels Park Shelter, just off Castle Pines Parkway, Raynolds gave an introduction and basin overview. The panorama of the front range there is impressive, we could see Pikes Peak to the south through hazy skies and all the way north to Long’s Peak. These peaks are 100 miles apart. He remarked that the Denver Basin has a wonderful geologic story that is obscured from sight by urban development, rolling hills of grassland, and few outcrops. With a map and regional cross-section rolled out on the ground, he pointed to remnants of partially eroded outcrops

Paint Mines Interpretive Park is a magical open space area of 750 acres within El Paso County just outside of Calhan, Colorado. An hour’s drive east of Colorado Springs, it is geologically known for being a colorful canyon exposing the youngest (Eocene) sediments in the Denver Basin. On Friday July 16, 2021 it was the destination of 15 RMAG members on a day-long adventure. Geologist, Dr. Bob Raynolds, Research Associate at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Denver Basin expert guided us through a regional understanding of the Denver Basin with the Paint Mines landscape being the focus of the day.

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ABOVE: A group photo of the participants on the RMAG field trip to Paint Mines Interpretive Park, near Calhan, CO on July 16,2021.

within the basin that give us clues to the geological past. Many questions about the Denver Basin have us scratching our heads: How did the Castle Rock Conglomerate form? What triggered the pulses of volcanic activity that produced ash layers? Why are there bowling-ball size pieces of Pre-Cambrian age rock scattered in the gullies at Paint Mines? Raynolds contends that clues to these and other genetic questions are subtle and mysterious. He says with the right eyes and interpretive approach, answers are possible as they are “hidden in plain sight.” At Stop 2 our eight-vehicle convoy descended on Rock Park at the foot of Castle Rock Mountain, the towering landmark, visible for miles, at the town of the same name. From there the group took the Summit Trail, a 20-minute climb which leads you to the top where 50-80 feet of conglomerate is preserved. On the short trail there was a very dense scattering of SUV-sized boulders of coarse conglomerate that had broken off from above. Some were standing onend. They contained angular, fist-sized clasts of granite, quartzite and potassium feldspar. Large scale crossbedding in the boulders was obvious, indicating a high energy depositional environment. Given that the nearest known source of this material is west in the mountains, how did these clasts get there? Rock units at Castlewood Canyon and Cherokee Ranch both farther west, are texturally and compositionally similar. Large clast size, angular shape of the clasts and poor sorting indicate immature sediments. Flash, or breakout flood events could be responsible for these conglomerate remnant outcrops. From Castle Rock we headed southeast to Elbert for a lunch break at the Naked Goat Café. The temperature was in the 90’s and geology was discussed over sandwiches and cold beverages. “Canyons develop when you have uplift. Water then carves its way through rock, downcutting like a knife through butter,” Raynolds said, “Our next destination, Paint Mines is the product of that process.” From Elbert, we drove

BELOW: Dr. Bob Raynolds investigates cobbles of granite and quartzite accumulated in gullies following the erosion of sandstones in Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Calhan, CO. The source area for these cobbles is believed to be Coal Creek Canyon granites north of Boulder, CO, approximately 80 miles to the northwest.

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OUTCROP | September 2021

RMAG ON THE ROCKS

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south and east for an hour crossing over Tertiary landscape. It was void of outcrops, with rolling hills covered in grassland. Grasses were all waving in the wind. On arrival at Paint Mines there was a sizable wind farm adjacent to the park. The name Paint Mines brings to mind a place where you’d go to mine paint. It’s been reported that native Indians used pigments from the colorful clay layers in this area for art and designs. Driving to it from the east you don’t know this shallow canyon is there until you arrive at the top of the trail and look over the edge. The topography is badlands-like. Where the grassy ground ends, the canTrip coordinator, Denise Stone standing by one of many impressive hoodoos in the yon wall starts. You look down to see Paint Mines Interpretive Park, near Calhan, CO. colorful layers of sand, silt and clay. Tall hoodoos, 10-20 feet high with ghost-like shapes abound. They are formed by waThe point of the days trip was that drainage patter downcutting around their base, leaving differenterns in the Denver Basin have changed over time. tially eroded towers. White layers are kaolinitic rich According to structural geologist Ned Sterne, also on sandstones, coarse grained, cross bedded, deposited the trip, post-Laramide doming activity has changed by fluvial channels. Clay layers are gray, amber, red and the landscape over time altering drainage patterns. vary depending on the time of day. Many families were The South Platte River has not always been in its curthere with children, even babies in strollers. There rent path and will not likely stay where it is in future. are 4 miles of gravel groomed trails that wind through Drainage patterns change, channels migrate, and rivthe canyon. ers get rerouted according to the amount of sediment, Two distinct sequences named D1 and D2 are exwater volume, and uplift. These elements alter stream posed in Paint Mines and carry laterally throughout dynamics. Clast provenance, texture and distribution the Denver Basin. They are separated by a paleosol are clues to past events that carried material long disthat marks a hiatus of 6 million years. The timing of tances across the Denver Basin. deposition of these two sediment pulses have been Paint Mines is not a very well-known place as determined by the dating of the volcanic ash, lignites many Denver-area hikers go west instead of east when and pollen they contain. Oddly, scattered within the they want to get outdoors. If you are looking for a geogullies between hoodoos are bowling ball sized pieclogically stimulating days hike, head to Paint Mines. es of pre-Cambrian quartzites known to exist in-place at Coal Creek Canyon in the front range over 80 miles away. Could long reaching depositional events have FURTHER READING carried this material that far in mega floods? Raynolds, R.G., 2002, Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary Raynolds, having done research on it for decades stratigraphy of the Denver Basin, Colorado; Rocky admits geology of the Denver Basin keeps him up at Mountain Geology, v. 37, p.111-134. night. Why are there two distinct sequences of Tertiary sediments in the Denver Basin? What caused them and Denise is a member of the RMAG On-The-Rocks Comwhy? What was happening during the 6 million years mittee. She was the trip coordinator for the Paint Mines of non-deposition? field trip. OUTCROP | September 2021

Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

ABOVE:The RMAG group standing at the trailhead overlook to the Paint Mines Interpretive Park, near Calhan, CO. White kaolinitic sandstones at the upper level of the park contrast with the open grassland on rolling hills. LEFT: Dr. Bob Raynolds along the Summit Trail looking at a watermelon-sized clast of gray quartzite fractured and imbedded in the Castle Rock Conglomerate. RIGHT: Angular clasts of granite and feldspar weathered by lichen and imbedded in the Castle Rock Conglomerate.

Vol. 70, No. 9 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | September 2021

IN THE PIPELINE SEPTEMBER 1-15, 2021

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

RMAG GeoHike Challenge.

Gas Processors Assn. Clay Shoot. Kiowa Creek Sporting Club. Bennett, CO.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

RMAG Online Luncheon. Speaker: Thomas Chidsey. “The Greater Glory of the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, Utah.” Online via RingCentral Meetings or in-person at Maggiano’s. 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.

RMAG Annual Golf Tournament. Arrowhead Golf Course. SEPTEMBER 26- OCTOBER 1, 2021 IMAGE SEG/AAPG Annual Meeting. Denver, CO. or online. Register at imageevent.org/2021.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 Members in Transition Talk: Shaina Kelly “Technical Opportunities for Subsurface Scientists and Engineers in the Energy Transition”

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ADVERTISER INDEX

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CALENDAR – SEPTEMBER 2021 SUNDAY

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25 RMAG Annual Golf Tournament.

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RMAG GeoHike Challenge: Continues thru Sept. 15, 2021

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OUTCROP | September 2021